Minor quakes hit Puerto Rico, no report of damage

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A magnitude 5.3 earthquake and a slightly weaker one shook Puerto Rico early today, but there were no immediate reports of damage or casualties.

The epicentre of the stronger quake was 13 km west-northwest of Puerto Real on the Caribbean island's west coast at a depth of 23.2 km, the United States Geological Survey said. A weaker quake of 5.1 magnitude struck the same area three minutes earlier.

The tremor was felt at a hotel on the northwestern coast of Puerto Rico, said Jose Caro, an employee at Marriott Courtyard Aguadilla. "Everything is ok. Some people went out of their rooms, but everything is back to normal," said Caro, reached by phone from Washington.

The quake was not strong enough to create a tsunami, the United States West Coast and AlaskaTsunamiWarningCenter said. Officials in Puerto Rico, a United States territory in the Caribbean Sea, could not immediately be reached.